Freddie Flintoff backs hospital helipad campaign after accident
In December 2022, Flintoff sustained severe injuries while filming at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey for an episode of BBC show Top Gear.
(Image: BBC)
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff has backed a campaign to help more hospitals get helipads after his own experience of medical air support following his car crash at a Top Gear test track.
In December 2022, Flintoff sustained severe injuries while filming at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey for an episode of BBC show Top Gear.
The former international cricketer was airlifted to St George's Hospital in Tooting – a major trauma centre.
The helipad at the hospital was funded by a campaign with the Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads (Help) Appeal.
As he backed the campaign, Flintoff said: "When I was airlifted, that helipad wasn't just a safe spot to land on the hospital roof, it was a vital step in giving me a second chance as I had immediate access to the specialist care which helped saved my life.
"As every cricket pitch has a wicket, every hospital that needs one should have a helipad."
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The Help Appeal said that there have been 30,000 landings on the 32 NHS hospital helipads funded by the charity across the country.
It has also funded 23 major upgrades at other hospital helipads.
The charity is aiming to fund 40 new and upgraded helipads.
Robert Bertram, chief executive of the Help Appeal, said: "We are incredibly grateful to have Freddie's support, especially knowing that his life was saved thanks, in part, to a Help Appeal-funded helipad. His story highlights exactly why the charity's work is so vital – seconds count in a medical emergency and that helipad made all the difference.
"Freddie's backing brings invaluable awareness to the importance of rapid access to emergency care for everyone, everywhere."
Sir Keith Porter, emeritus professor of clinical traumatology at the University of Birmingham, said the charity plays a "crucial part" in getting patients to the right hospital at the right time.
He added: "Helicopter Emergency Medical Services have the ability to deliver critical care teams at or close to the side of a patient and then to transport them to the most appropriate hospital for their clinical needs, in the case of injury, usually a major trauma centre.
"Minutes count, particularly for patients with life-threatening bleeding, where the extra journey time can make the difference between life and death.
"The Help Appeal, by funding on-site helipads, helps facilitate the prompt delivery of patients directly into the emergency department with a trolley-push from the landing site."
Flintoff also recently visited the NHS staff who cared for him after the accident at St George's Hospital.
He praised health workers in the NHS as "superheroes" and described the aftermath of the crash as the "the lowest I've ever been".
The 47-year-old praised the "expertise, love and compassion" shown by staff at the hospital during his time of need.
During a documentary about the accident, Flintoff described how he used the split-second decision-making from his cricketing days to try to reduce the impact of the crash.
He said he was "pulled face-down on the runway" for about 50 metres under the car.
The former England star said he thought he had died in the accident.
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For months after the crash, Flintoff disappeared from public view and would leave his house only for medical appointments
His recovery has been documented in a documentary, Flintoff, streamed on Disney+.
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